


the space between

by cinnabun



Series: a cup of coffee [4]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Finally, Fluff and Angst, IT'S FINISHED, Kofi Fic, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 06:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18441017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnabun/pseuds/cinnabun
Summary: Sometimes you have your doubts. So does he.(1.5k-Kofi Poll Results Drabble - Mettaton/Reader, SOULmate AU: with hints of Angst)





	the space between

* * *

 

 It was tough dating a celebrity.

Mettaton was a wonderful guy. Fun, bright, charming, and always full of life and energy. It was no surprise that he had such a huge fanbase. You’d pinched yourself more than once, just to make sure that, no, you weren’t dreaming.

Your relationship, overall, was a good one. Though he was busy, Mettaton always did his best to make you happy.

But that was the problem. He was a _very_ busy Monster. Between concerts and interviews, running his own (multiple) shows, and acting as the head of an entire business, you were struggling to find time for the two of you.

You’d been left dateless on many a Date Night, sitting alone in one of the high-end restaurants he’d booked for you two to go out to until the waiters finally took pity on you and asked if you wanted the check. There were nights when you clung to a Mettaton-themed plush, wishing it was him instead, and crying yourself to sleep.

During a particularly rainy, dreary day, you opted to stay in. You were satisfied to stay curled up on the couch with a book until night fell and you could sleep until tomorrow came.

Then the front door of your apartment opened.

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the drenched, looming frame that staggered over the doorway. Book clenched in your fist, you reeled it back, ready to chuck it at whoever was slowly stumbling towards you.

It wasn’t until they pushed finally looked up at you that you recognized who they were.

“Hey, Mettaton.” You spoke softly.

He looked like a complete and utter mess. His hair was drenched, plastered to his cheeks and forehead. Dark synthetic bags hung under his half-lidded eyes. Every step he took creaked, arms hanging so low that they nearly dragged on the floor.

Mettaton gave a weak mumble as a response to your greeting, swaying back and forth on his stiletto heels as he slowly crossed the distance between you two.

You put your book down and opened your arms. He fell into your embrace. The chill of his metal body made you gasp. “Ohmygod, you’re freezing!”

“Sorry, darling…” He muttered with his face buried in the crook of your neck.

“Hey,” you curled your fingers in his wet hair, gently stroking his scalp, “Are you okay?”

There was silence for the moment. The only thing you could hear were the inner mechanisms of his mechanical body buzzing away. He sounded like your laptop when you had too many tabs open at once.

“Mettaton?” You pressed gently.

He sighed, shifting his position to lean his chin against your shoulder. “No, darling, I don’t think I am.”

A pit began to form in your stomach. “Are you tired? Do you need to recharge? Should I call Alphys?”

Mettaton sighed again, deep and heavy. His arms wound around your body, caging you beneath him.

“No, please, darling. I just need you to stay with me for a while. Can you do that for me?”

You blinked, pulling him closer as a warmth bloomed inside you. “Of course.”

It was hard to tell how much time had passed as you both just laid there. Enough that your arm was falling asleep, pinned under his weight. You tried to wiggle it free, without jostling him too much to ruin the moment. But it was stuck tight, and you ended up resigning yourself to your one-armed fate.

Mettaton pressed himself even closer to you, like he was scared that you were going to slip out of his fingers and disappear into thin air. You wanted to know what was bothering him so much. You hardly ever saw this side of him, and it made you worried.

The words hung there, just unsaid. ‘What’s wrong?’

But you couldn’t get them out. It felt wrong, somehow, pressing the issue. You didn’t want to bother him. You were sure that if he needed help, he’d ask for it. Wouldn’t he?

All you could do was hold him as he clung to you.

Robots couldn’t cry. Even if Mettaton wanted to, it was physically impossible for him to shed tears. He had to use eye-drops when it came to his shows and movies. There was always one thing that gave away his terror more than anything else: the creaking and clicking of gears inside him, the whir of his internal fans, and the unsettling hum of his soul bouncing in its carrier.

He mumbled something against your chest.

“…What?”

Another incomprehensible mutter.

“Metta, I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

He sighed and lifted his head, propping his chin on your collarbone. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Your stomach dropped. “Sorry for what?”

“I’ve been so very wrong to you, darling.”

“What…do you mean?” Your hands were shaking, palms clammy.

“I’m your partner. Your soulmate. I’m supposed to share my life with you. But I’ve been…so caught up in my work that. I can’t imagine how lonely you’ve been here, without me. I know for certain that I have been missing you so much that my soul aches even when you’re right here next to me.”

He spoke softly, his beautiful pink and golden eyes swirling with regret, hesitation, and fear. “I owe you so much more than what I’ve had to offer. You deserve so much better than this. So much better than what I can give you.”

‘So much better than me.’ He didn’t say it, but you could sense that he meant it.

“Mettaton…” You leaned up, propping your upper body on your arms. Mettaton moved to kneel between your legs, his hair still a complete mess. Gently, you smoothed it back, giving him the warmest smile that you could muster.

“I love you.”

His fans leapt at your words, his eyes widening as his hair began to rise, like he’d touched a static ball. “Darling, I…”

You pressed a finger to his lips, shushing him. “Listen to me. I missed you.”

Mettaton’s eyes moved over your face as you spoke, from your lips, to your nose, to your eyes, back and forth.

“I missed you more than I can say. And yes, I have been lonely without you here. But I know you’re busy. You have a life outside me. And I have a life outside of you. And that’s okay. It’s okay that we live for ourselves, because those are the lives that we get to share with each other.”

You moved your hands to cradle his cheeks, stroking your thumbs against the warm synthetic skin.

“I love seeing you happy. And I know that your work makes you happy. Getting to perform for people, and talk, and play with your band. Music, art, theatre. You were born to entertain people, Mettaton. I couldn’t see a world where you’re not the one standing under a spotlight.”

He laughed breathily, nuzzling into your palm.

“You’re right. If I hadn’t met Alphys, I never would have gotten the chance to…to really be myself.”

“And it’s the same for her. Just because we’re soulmates doesn’t make me any more important than her. And I don’t want to be.”

“I just want it to be easier for us…”

“I know you do.” You mumbled, kissing his forehead. “I do too. And one day, it will be. But for now, all we can do is remember that we have each other. You’re not alone, and I’m not either. No matter how hard things get to handle. Or how busy we might be. Or how much time we spend away from each other, that doesn’t mean that we love each other any less. We’re going to be okay. Okay?”

His bottom lip trembled a bit as he leaned against you and breathed. If he’d had the ability to, you were sure he would have been crying. “…Okay.”

“Good.”

A weight felt like it’d been taken off your shoulders. How long had you been holding all that in? It felt like you’d just had a moment worthy of a Nicholas Spark’s book. You bit back the laugh that bubbled in the back of your throat, mind wandering off, and only coming back when Mettaton crawled over you, leaning down so that your foreheads touched.

“I won’t forget this, darling.” He mumbled. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him back down, fingers threading through his soft, silky black hair.

“Make sure not to,” you whispered against his scalp, “or I’ll have to remind you every day.”

It wasn’t a threat, but a promise.

He laughed. “I know you will.”

And like that, the tension in the air was gone.

You laid on the couch, tangled together, no sounds but your breathing, the whirs of his fans, and the steady thumping of your heartbeat.

Finally feeling at rest, you allowed your eyes to slip closed. For once, you could finally say the words and actually feel like they were true.

Everything was going to be okay.

 

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAA, it's finally done!!! Despite this being the shortest Kofi-fic I've written, it was the most difficult. I have no idea why. I'm fairly satisfied with how it turned out, though! Thanks for reading. Feedback is always appreciated!
> 
> \- cinnabun


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